Let’s face it; “The Ultimate Fighter” house isn’t exactly known as a beacon of purity. Nor are MMA fighters universally known as saints.

Shamar Bailey, a church-ministry major in college and the son of a preacher, expects to witness some less-than-pious behavior when he grabs a bunk in the “TUF” house.

But don’t expect the Team Dos Santos first-round pick to go about bearing witness to those not converted. And don’t think that because he’s guided by faith that he won’t deliver a beatdown to those standing across from him, and maybe, in opposition to him.

Bailey, a Strikeforce veteran who got his MMA start while training with UFC vets Chris Lytle and Jake O’Brien in Indianapolis, undoubtedly has drawn upon faith in the most recent year of his career, which saw him lose in a pair of professional outings.

The setbacks could have jeopardized his longterm plan of building a win streak in regional competition and crossing over to the UFC.

“I had some opportunities that were given to me at a smaller weight class on short notice, and I just tried to make the most of it, and it didn’t go my way,” said Bailey, who can be seen Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Spike TV. “But I always knew that if you keep putting the work in, you’re going to get rewarded for it.”

When Bailey got the call to participate on “TUF 13,” it was exactly the reward he was waiting for. But how would he mesh with the rest of the fighters? Some of them undoubtedly would test his patience, and some of them might get too personal outside of the cage.

That’s what he didn’t want.

In fact, it’s the reason he wasn’t a fan of MMA until he met Lytle and discovered the competitive discipline behind each art inherent to the sport. Then there was his wrestling coach in college, who told him to use his athletic prowess to enrich the lives of others.

It might be hard to remember those words when some tatted-up youngster is screaming at him with a belly full of booze in the close quarters of the reality-show house, or talking trash prior to a fight.

But Bailey is confident he’ll stay rooted in the values that have brought him this far.

“Everybody has to do what they have to do to get the best performance out of themselves,” Bailey said. “I’m not worried about it. I’m just worried about my program and what’s going to get my hand raised at the end of the day. I think you can be a Christian and competitive, as well.”

Ultimately, no concern was big enough to keep him from the competition. “The Ultimate Fighter” could be the perfect transition to a career in the UFC. He’s ready to get back to his winning ways and make a jump to the big show.

He said anyone thinking he’s soft is going to be in for a shock.

“I’m not one of those Christians that’s going to get walked over,” Bailey said. “I can guarantee you that. I’m going to get my hand raised one way or the other.

“I feel very blessed to have this opportunity, and hopefully my performance will show how thankful I am.”

MMAjunkie.com interviewed all 14 preliminary-round contestants on “The Ultimate Fighter 13.” They all were featured in the debut episode of “TUF 13: Team Lesnar vs. Team Dos Santos.” Two new interviews will be released each day until the season’s second episode, which airs Wednesday at 9 p.m. PT/ET on Spike TV.